The means which they proposed to use were circular | the conspirators not been early disturbed, as we shall letters of credit. Circular letters of credit, with which most continental tourists must be familiarly acquainted, may be described as orders for a certain sum of money to be received wholly or in part at one or at several of the continental bankers, correspondents of the London banker, who gives the letter of credit, in consideration of a certain sum lodged with him. The firm, whose letters of credit the present conspirators selected, on account of the magnitude of its transactions, was that of Glyn, Halifax, Mills, and Co., London bankers. The letters of credit of this firm are like those of other west-end bankers. Stamped on them are the initials of the firm; beneath is a blank space for the payments, which are marked off as they are made on the Continent, until the sum for which the letter of credit is given is entirely exhausted. Annexed to, and forming a part of the letters, are the names of the principal towns of Europe, beginning with Abbeville and ending with Zante, and opposite to each town the correspondent of Glyn and Co. in each respective place. And thus, with a letter of credit for a thousand pounds, one may obtain the whole sum at any of these places, or portions of the sum at each of them. Bourbelle and Graham, having settled on the object which they had in view, had two things to do in order to effect it. It was necessary for Graham to obtain, in Florence, a circular letter of Glyn and Co., from which he might copy, by the means of his machine, the signature, which stands out in alto relievo, thus: G., H., M., and Co. This could alone be effected by Graham's machine. On the other hand, it was necessary to obtain a circular letter also, from which to print off fac-similes of the engraved portion of them, and in no place on the Continent could the printing be safely done; London was therefore fixed upon as the proper locality for that operation. For the first of these operations, it would appear, that Graham had obtained from Bogle an old circular letter, belonging to a gentleman of the name of Robert Nicholson; and it is improbable that, without this copy first to try his skill upon, they would have proceeded to the printing. It was, however, quite sufficient to afford Graham the signature of Glyn and Co.; and this obtained, the only part wanting in the operation was, to have the copper-plates of the printed portion of the letters engraved. There was also something else wanting,—that is to say, instruments to put the fraud into execution; for the principal conspirators were anxious not ostensibly to take a part in the transaction. With both these ends in view, Bourbelle came to London. In London, Bourbelle soon fell in with an old friend of his, a person of the name and title of Baron D'Arguson. At the time, the Baron lived by gambling; he was, however, the son of Count D'Arguson, a peer of France, President of the College of Electors of the department of Eure, and First Chamberlain of Hortense, wife of Louis Buonaparte. To the Baron, Bourbelle, on the 7th of January 1840, gave 150l.; and the Baron, having lodged that money with Glyn and Co., obtained from them a circular letter of credit for the amount. Thus was the object answered of obtaining a copy from which to strike off the copper-plates; for it was impossible to remove from Florence the letter of credit belonging to Mr. Nicholson, from which, as we have seen, Graham had copied the signatures. It appears, however, that the conspirators were singularly economical in their proceedings; for, before putting the letter of credit to the use for which they intended it, they sent it over to the Continent, and obtained the whole of the sum for which it had been given, with the exception of five pounds. It was afterwards remarked, as a coincidence, that the same partner who signed the letter of Nicholson, signed the present one,--that is to say, Mr. Halifax, jun., whose exclusive province it by no means was to sign the letters of credit. From this circumstance, it would have been not at all improbable that, even had presently see, in the execution of their scheme, some suspicion might have been excited by their letters of credit invariably bearing the same signature. Matters having so far proceeded, a sufficient quantity of the peculiar paper upon which Glyn and Co. print their circular letters was obtained, with some difficulty, from a paper manufacturer; and Bourbelle, and his friend D'Arguson, set about the matter in earnest. A printer was engaged. At first he worked in his own office, near the Haymarket; but subsequently, Bourbelle, who objected to the intrusion of strangers, induced him to come and work at his own lodgings, at 184, Regent-street, where he resided on the top floor. The circular letter was given to the printer, bit by bit; and he was never allowed to have two portions of it at the same time, until the copper-plate was completed, when he could not but suspect, as he acknowledged at the trial, that there was some fraudulent purpose in the affair; being well paid, however, he held his tongue. When the copies had been struck off, they were forwarded by Bourbelle, with great care, to Cunningham Graham, at Florence, and the latter traced upon them the signature of Glyn, Halifax, Mills, and Co. They were afterwards distributed among the members of the conspiracy, according to the directions of Bourbelle, and according to the amount which it was arranged that each member should levy upon the bankers of the Continent. Thus far Bourbelle's measures had been successful; and upon them he appears to have spent considerable sums of money; but there was still one difficulty remaining,-it was the want of proper instruments to put the whole scheme into play. As we have said, it was no part of the plan that the principal concoctors of the plot should be actors in it; it was therefore necessary to find some individuals who, for a per centage on the profits of the chief worthies, would consent to present the circular letters in the various towns of the Continent. This was no trifling difficulty; and we shall see that it was owing to the ill-judged selection of one individual that this nefarious plan was brought to so early a close. The parties whom Bourbelle selected were the following : 10. D'Arguson, who was to travel under the name of Castel. 20. Marie Rosalie Desjardins, the mistress of D'Arguson, who was to travel under the name of the Countess De Vaudec. 30. A person of the name of Frederick Pipe, who was to travel under the name of Dr. Coulson. This man is said to have practised originally as a veterinary surgeon, but to have been, at the time that Bourbelle fell in with him, connected with one of the gambling-houses in the Quadrant. Another account makes him out to have been formerly in the service of a Dr. Coulson, whose name he now assumed. Be his early education what it might, we shall presently see that he certainly was one of the most accomplished swindlers of the party. 6 40. Charlotte Anne Pipe, said to be the wife of the last, and who was to travel under the name of Lenoy. 50. Alexander Graham, the son of Cunningham Graham, and who was to travel under the name of Mr. Robert Nicholson. This young man appears to have been one of the most worthless of the whole gang, so much so that he excited the utmost solicitude in the bosom of his worthy parent, whose letters, reminding him of honour,' and exhorting him not to act in an unprincipled manner,' are not unworthy of notice. Even Bourbelle appears to have distrusted young Graham completely. However, their misgivings were not entirely borne out, for he appears never to have exerted himself, for good or for ill, more than to obtain 150l., with which to live pleasantly at Aix-la-Chapelle, whilst his companions were acting more industriously in other parts. Before the trial of Bogle v. Lawson came on, young Graham had died of a loathsome disease, in a maison de santé, near Paris, in want and misery. 60. The sixth individual whom Bourbelle selected | was a man styling himself Charles Gerard, Count de Paindry, but from what source he had obtained this title of nobility it would not be very easy to ascertain. 70. The seventh was T. W. Perry, alias Ireland, who did not speak French. Every thing being in readiness, it was agreed that proceedings should commence on the 21st of April, simultaneously, in Italy, in Belgium, and on the Rhine. Alexander Graham, who had been residing at Florence with his father, left that city for Aix-la-Chapelle, whither the other conspirators, with the exception of Bourbelle and Pipe, (alias Dr. Coulson,) starting from London on the 1st of April, repaired to join him. In the mean while Bourbelle and Dr. Coulson proceeded, via Paris, to Italy. At Nice, these latter were met by old Graham, who, it would appear from the letters intercepted by the French police, declared the letters of credit to be perfection, and that it would be impossible to refuse them. The following letter, from Bourbelle to D'Arguson, will give an idea of their plans at that moment, as well as of the character of the man : Here at Nice, April 13th. "Neither Coulson, Graham, nor myself have received anything from you; no letters, from which I conclude that all is tranquil with you at Aix-la-Chapelle. May God preserve you in peace up to the 21st. I leave them here to-morrow, but with orders to act, if they receive from you a letter telling them to do so, sooner than the period fixed upon; but I hope that they will not receive any letter from you, and that all will go on quietly. Do not commence, without having given them notice, before the 21st, otherwise you would cause them to be taken in the middle of Italy; but you are aware of that, and you are incapable of baseness. Adieu, dear. You will find at the post-office of Milan a letter for you from me, under your name D'Arguson. It will tell you where I advise you to go when you have done at Milan. I think I shall tell you: go to Venice and Trieste, in order thence to reach Egypt and India; and until you have been able to reach India, drop there all trace of you; abandon your passport, and embark there for America, without any other name than that of Castel, and to return quietly do not stop. You could go from Trieste to Corfu, and there cast your skin, and do not enter Ancona; but I advise the grand flight. Adieu again: I embrace you. In your misfortune I have been a brother to you; be mine now. My fortune, my happiness, my ruin is in your hands. 'BARON LOUIS D'ARGUSON, Poste restante, Paris.' From Nice also Bourbelle wrote to Alexander Graham on the 14th that all was right, and 'a proof that all is right is, that Bogle lets old Graham come and embark in the affair. Bogle and your papa are convinced that all will turn out well, and that the letters of credit must be paid.' This paragraph formed a portion of the evidence against Bogle on the part of the Times at the trial, and though insufficient as a complete proof of the criminality of the former, it was, with the other evidence, quite enough to satisfy the public of his criminality. At length the 21st of April arrived. By this time De Paindry had arrived in Florence, and on his side also so had Bourbelle. On the morning of that day De Paindry presented himself at the bank of Bogle, Kerrick, and Maccarthy, and presented a letter of credit, upon which he asked and received 2001. It would appear that later in the day De Paindry attempted to get a further advance on the same letter, from an English shopkeeper in Florence, who expressed, remarkably enough, some doubts as to the genuineness of the letter; for, in the course of that day, Bourbelle came to the bank, and had a long interview with Bogle, in the private room of the latter, and with locked doors. In this interview it is presumed that they decided that it would be wiser that De Paindry should return the money, as otherwise the whole affair might be blown upon at the On the 28th, the self-styled Dr. Coulson and his friend Graham were in Rome. The former called upon M. le Mesurier, and obtained 2007. on a letter of credit for 2000l. Shortly afterwards he returned again and demanded 13007, more. M. le Mesurier, as it was the first time that he had honoured any of Glyn and Co.'s letters of credit, hesitated to make this second adVance. Upon this Coulson flew into a furious rage, told him that he had come over to execute a commission for his father, and that if the money was not immediately paid, he should return the 2007. he had already received, go back to England, and that his father would bring an action against Glyn and Co., not only for the expenses of the journey, but for damages besides. On consideration, therefore, and after consulting the English consul and another gentleman, M. le Mesurier paid the money. The conspirators, who had assembled at Aix-laChapelle, had all, with the exception of Alexander Graham, left it before the 19th, some of them, as we have seen, to proceed to Italy. Alexander Graham contented himself with obtaining 1501. from a banker in Aix-la-Chapelle, and after that remained inactive. The Countess de Vaudec (alias Rosalie Desjardins) on leaving Aix-la-Chapelle, proceeded in style up the Rhine, in an elegant carriage, with a courier. Her only companion was a little girl. At Cologne she presented, on the 22nd, a letter of credit for 800l. to Oppenheim, jun. and Co., and demanded and received 500. upon it. At Coblentz, on the 23rd, she obtained from another banker, and on a fresh letter of credit, 500l. more. On the 24th she presented another to Gogel, Koch. and Co., and obtained 520. upon it. At Mayence she presented another to Human and Mappes fils, and having obtained 5007. more, she proceeded leisurely to Paris. But whilst the master-spirits of the party were carrying on the scheme with such eminent success in Italy and on the Rhine, the stupidity of one of their confederates was ruining De Bourbelle's hopes of an El Dorado in Belgium. On the 20th of April, D'Arguson, who passed under the name of Baron de Castel, started with Perry (alias Ireland) from Aix-la-Chapelle for Liege. Once there, the Baron, who does not seem to have had a very great confidence in his companion, took the latter towards the bank of Nagelmaker and Cerfontaine, and in the very street in which those bankers lived, handed him a letter of credit for 8001. and directed him to ask for 550%. Upon this demand being made by Perry, it was refused, owing to his passport not being regular. Next day, however, he returned, and induced them to give him 1007. upon it. Out of this sum D'Arguson took 801. and gave him the remainder. They thence proceeded to Brussels, and presented to Engler and Co. a letter of credit for 1400., on which they asked and obtained 7501.; out of this sum D'Arguson took 500. At Ghent, on the 23rd, they presented a letter to Meulemerte and Son, but without success; these bankers objecting that they had not received a letter of advice. Later, on the same day, Perry, in company with the woman Lenoy, (alias Pipe,) went to Antwerp, and presented to Mr. Agié the same letter on which Mr. Engler of Brussels had advanced 7501. The appearance of Perry excited some suspicion in the mind of Mr. Agié, and, when the former stated that he was about to return to England, the wonder was still greater, that such a man, after the receipt of so large a sum in Brussels, should require more money, and that when on the point of starting for England, from which the letter of credit was supposed to come. Mr. Agié refused, therefore, to make any advance, on the plea that he had received no advice. No sooner had Perry left him, however, than he wrote to Mr. Engler, suggesting that there was something wrong, and Mr. Engler sent immediate directions to have Perry arrested. Perry was accordingly arrested, with the woman Pipe, on board the Ostend steamer, when on the point of starting for London. The depositions of Perry before the Belgian authorities exposed the whole matter, as far as he was connected with it. But, in the mean while, a premature announcement of the fraud made in the Brussels paper gave the alarm to the confederates, and they all succeeded in making their escape. It is true, that De Paindry was overtaken in Moldavia, obliged to disgorge a portion of his plunder, delivered up by the summary police of Constantinople, sent to Genoa, and thence to Aix-laChapelle, but there the court declared its incompetence to take cognizance of the matter, and he was dismissed. Graham the elder, D'Arguson and his mistress, or Pipe, do not seem to have been in any way molested. Bourbelle retreated to Spain, but it is asserted that he came expressly to London to support Bogle against the Times with his money and his advice, and that he was in London at the time of the trial. Pipe, after escaping to Malta, and remaining there four days, started for Bona in a Maltese bombarde, and having there made friends with the English consul, and with the governor, changed his passport, and proceeded to France via Algiers. On the 9th of May the depositions of Perry at Ostend reached Florence, and Bogle withdrew of his own accord from the firm of Bogle, Kerrick, and Maccarthy. Not making an attempt, however, to clear his reputation, he was, by a decree of the Tuscan government, expelled from Tuscany-a stigma from which the circumstances elicited in his action against the Times did not certainly in any way relieve him. Such is a brief account of the facts connected with the famous conspiracy, by its elucidation of which the Times has rendered all similar conspiracies utterly impracticable." Biographical Sketches of Eminent Painters. RUBENS. PETER PAUL RUBENS was born in the year 1577, Antwerp in order to avoid the calamities attendant at Cologne, whither his parents had retired from on the civil wars, by which, at that time, the Low Countries were disturbed. His father, John Rubens, was a doctor of laws, and was much respected in Antwerp, where he repeatedly filled important public situations in the most honourable manner. Peter Paul gave signs of great natural talent from his earliest years. His father gave him a superior education after his return to Antwerp; and so apt was he in attaining knowledge, that when very young he could converse fluently in the Latin tongue. He was a handsome boy, and was, for a short time, page to the Countess Lalain; but he soon became weary of that effeminate mode of life, and returned home. After his father's death, which took place at about that period, his inclination for painting became so marked, that his mother engaged Tobias Verhaecht, a painter of landscapes and architectural subjects, to give him instruction in that art. He afterwards became a disciple of Adam Van Oort, a painter of but ordinary merit, and of so morose a temper, and of such incorrect morals, that young Rubens soon resolved to cease to be his pupil, and went to study under Octavio Van Veen, more generally known as Otho Venius, a painter who was as much admired for his talent in his art, as he was respected for his learning and excellent moral character. Rubens profited by the advantages he possessed, and pursued his studies under the guidance of this superior man with enthusiasm. At the age of twenty-three he determined to visit Italy; and the Archduke Albert, Governor of the Netherlands, gave him the strongest letters of introduction to the Duke of Mantua, in order that he might have every facility for studying the admirable paintings and antique statues in his collection. The Duke received him with every mark of distinction, and soon became much attached to him; so much so, that he sent him on a mission to Philip the Third, King of Spain, which Rubens fulfilled in so satisfactory a manner, that both the Spanish monarch and the duke bestowed on him the most marked testimonials of their regard. After his return to Mantua, he visited Rome, Venice, Genoa, and other Italian cities, where he studied the works of the great masters, and improved himself in colouring by his accurate observation of the style of Titian and Paul Veronese. It has been said that he did not sufficiently refine his taste by the study of the antique, as most of the celebrated artists had done; nevertheless, the fame of Rubens spread in a few years throughout Europe, and no painter's works were ever more universally coveted and admired than those of Rubens. His great talents were eagerly demanded for the and the mansions of the noble and wealthy of all adornment of churches, the palaces of sovereigns, nations; whilst by his learning, his courteous manners, and amiable disposition, he obtained the friendship and patronage of the kings of England and Spain, and other monarchs. He was even com missioned by the King of Spain to proceed to England to make overtures to Charles the First for a treaty of peace-a mission which he fulfilled in the most satisfactory manner. The King of England bestowed every mark of consideration on Rubens; and having engaged him to decorate some of the apartments at Whitehall with his paintings, his Majesty conferred on him the honour of knighthood, as a public acknowledgment of his merit. The talent of Rubens for allegorical compositions is displayed in a remarkable manner in his paintings in the palace of the Luxembourg at Paris : they are emblematical of the life of Mary de Medicis, Queen Consort of Henry IV. King of France. His landscapes are painted in the happiest style, and he possessed equal talent for painting animals. As his works were so eagerly sought after, he instructed a number of young men of genius, who assisted him in the execution of his designs. Vandyck and Snyders were among the number of his pupils. In his house at Antwerp this princely artist had for his studio a circular apartment, with a domea miniature of the rotunda of the Pantheon at Rome -where the light, descending from an aperture or window at the top, produced a uniform and pleasing effect on the objects beneath. In this favourite studio or museum Rubens had collected a vast number of books, marbles, statues, cameos, intaglios, or engraved stones, and a variety of the riches of art which he had collected in Rome. The walls were covered with pictures either of his own composition, or copies, by his own hand, made at Venice and Madrid, of the works of Titian and Paul Veronese. All foreigners, literary men, or lovers of the arts, and even princes who might be passing through Antwerp, visited Rubens, and inspected his valuable studio. He eventually disposed of his collection to the Duke of Buckingham for a hundred thousand florins; but he stipulated that he should be permitted to take casts of the statues, &c., which were deposited in the places where the originals had stood. Rubens was twice married; and he had several sons. The eldest filled a high office in Antwerp; and the others were still young, when their father died, at the age of sixty-three, in the month of May, 1640, at Antwerp. He was an admirable artist, an accomplished scholar, and a most amiable and excellent man. His body was interred in the parish church of St. James, of Antwerp, where his epitaph may be seen. In the church of St. Peter, at Cologne, is the celebrated picture, by Rubens, of the martyrdom of St. Peter. It was a present from this great painter, who was baptized in that church. This picture was taken to France during the empire of Napoleon, and was sent back to Cologne after the restoration of the Bourbons. The "Descent from the Cross," in the cathedral of Antwerp, has been considered superior to the above-mentioned picture. The " Incredulity of St. Thomas" is a very fine picture. The subject will be found in the twentieth chapter of St. John. The figures are of the natural size. Poetry. [In Original Poetry, the Name, real or assumed, of the Author, is printed in Small Capitals under the title; in Selections, it is printed in Italics at the end.] THE LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER.' THERE came three students over the RhineDame Werter's house they entered in: "Dame Werter, hast thou good beer and wine? And where's that lovely daughter of thine?" "My beer and my wine is fresh and clearMy daughter is lying cold on her bier." They stept within the chamber of rest, Where shrined lay the maiden, in black robes drest. The first he drew from her face the veil; "Ah! wert thou alive, thou maiden so pale," He said, as he gazed with saddened brow, "How dearly would I love thee now!" The second, he covered the face anew, And weeping, he turned from the view: "Ah me! that thou liest on that cold bier, The one I have loved for so many a-year!" The third once more uplifted the veil, He kissed the lips so deadly pale; "Thee loved I ever, still love I thee, And thee will I love through Eternity." No. 57.] London Magazine: A JOURNAL OF ENTERTAINMENT AND INSTRUCTION STUDENT LIFE IN GERMANY. THE JOBSIAD. (See page 77.) In a former paper we promised some account of the Jobsiad, a mock heroic poem, intended to illustrate certain peculiar features of German Student life; which promise we now proceed to fulfil. It contains the adventures of Hieronimus Jobs, a student of theology, who, having achieved great fame at college, as what in England would be called a "rowing man," that is, a thorough "Bursch," is unable to pass his examinations as candidate for holy orders, and is obliged to take up the profession of night-watchman, in which situation the powerful voice which he had acquired by frequent singing of student songs, enables him to give great satisfaction. The whole story is told in a sort of slang doggrel verse, which it is difficult to give an idea of, and adorned with wood-cuts, not the most recherché either in design or execution; but the author apologizes for the shabbiness of his illustrations by the cogent reason"That though the pictures are not the neatest, The verses also are not the sweetest; For this I considered good and wise, That one with the other might harmonize." The epic commences with an account of the parentage, birth, and early years of Hieronimus, showing how he was sent to school and learnt nothing there; how his father and mother, discovering in him the certain signs of great genius, wished him to be a clergyman; how his master endeavoured to persuade them to the contrary; and how they, reassured by the prognostications of a gipsy, and indignant at the teacher's calumnies, finally sent Hieronimus to the University. VOL. III. |